What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Investigation on-site. Contacted privacy data omitted, the manager of haley flying service. The aircraft was located in a tomato filed approximately on-quarter mile short of the haley flying service airstrip which is located north of Tracy, California. The aircraft was inverted. No injuries. The aircraft was returning from an application of sulfur to a filed approximately fifteen minutes from the airstrip. A minor amount of sulfur was spilled from the hopper when the aircraft came to rest inverted. There was a slight amount of fuel residual on the tomato plants in the immediate vicinity of the aircraft. There was no smell of fuel when the inspector arrived on site approximately three hours after the accident. The initial visual inspectionof the aircraft revealed damage to the aircraft to include the left and right wing tip, left and right wing leading edge, and the propeller. The engine did not appear to be under power at time of the accident. The pilot stated that he had made several "runs" earlier in the day. When asked about the fuel quantity at the time of departure prior to the accident the pilot stated that he had approximately half tanks which equated to approximately 40 gallons of fuel. This was verified by the loader, privacy data omitted, who stated that he always observes the fuel quantity during the loading operation and that the aircraft had a little over half during the loading operation and that the aircraft ahd a little over half full tanks when he loaded the aircraft for the "run" prior to the accident. The pilot went on to stae that the engine stopped running three times but he managed to get it restarted twice by pumping the throttle. The first tiem the engine stopped producing power the aircraft was at approximately 300 feet in level flight. The second time it failed was at the top of a climb back up to approximately 300 feet. After the third failure the engine would not restart and an emergency landing was executed into a tomato field. The pilot stated that upon touch down the main gear sunk into the wet field and caused the tail to pitch up causing the prop to strike the ground and subsequently caused the aircraft to flip over and came to rest approximately 3 feet short of an irrigation ditch. There were no injuries.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) INVESTIGATION ON-SITE. CONTACTED ^PRIVACY DATA O^, THE MANAGER OF HALEY FLYING SERVICE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN A TOMATO FILED APPROXIMATELY ON-QUARTER MILE SHORT OF THE HALEY FLYING SERVICE AIRSTRIP WHICH IS LOCATED NORTH OF TRACY, CALIFORNIA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INVERTED. NO INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNING FROM AN APPLICATION OF SULFUR TO A FILED APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN MINUTES FROM THE AIRSTRIP. A MINOR AMOUNT OF SULFUR WAS SPILLED FROM THE HOPPER WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST INVERTED. THERE WAS A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF FUEL RESIDUAL ON THE TOMATO PLANTS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE AIRCRAFT. THERE WAS NO SMELL OF FUEL WHEN THE INSPECTOR ARRIVED ON SITE APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE INITIAL VISUAL INSPECTIONOF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT TO INCLUDE THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING TIP, LEFT AND RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE, AND THE PROPELLER. THE ENGINE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE UNDER POWER AT TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD MADE SEVERAL "RUNS" EARLIER IN THE DAY. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE FUEL QUANTITY AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD APPROXIMATELY HALF TANKS WHICH EQUATED TO APPROXIMATELY 40 GALLONS OF FUEL. THIS WAS VERIFIED BY THE LOADER, ^PRIVACY DAT^, WHO STATED THAT HE ALWAYS OBSERVES THE FUEL QUANTITY DURING THE LOADING OPERATION AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD A LITTLE OVER HALF DURING THE LOADING OPERATION AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT AHD A LITTLE OVER HALF FULL TANKS WHEN HE LOADED THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE "RUN" PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT WENT ON TO STAE THAT THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING THREE TIMES BUT HE MANAGED TO GET IT RESTARTED TWICE BY PUMPING THE THROTTLE. THE FIRST TIEM THE ENGINE STOPPED PRODUCING POWER THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET IN LEVEL FLIGHT. THE SECOND TIME IT FAILED WAS AT THE TOP OF A CLIMB BACK UP TO APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET. AFTER THE THIRD FAILURE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS EXECUTED INTO A TOMATO FIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT UPON TOUCH DOWN THE MAIN GEAR SUNK INTO THE WET FIELD AND CAUSED THE TAIL TO PITCH UP CAUSING THE PROP TO STRIKE THE GROUND AND SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP OVER AND CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET SHORT OF AN IRRIGATION DITCH. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N3629E · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.